


New Addition

by PilotInTheStars



Series: Now That's What You Call a Dream [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Gifts, Happy Family, Kanan Lives AU, Kanera Baby, No Sex, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Pregnancy, Trying For A Baby, but not graphic, labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-10-15 20:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17535542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotInTheStars/pseuds/PilotInTheStars
Summary: After the Empire has been defeated and the galaxy has begun recovering, Hera and Kanan decide to add to their family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am nervous and excited to post this, but I had fun writing it, and it is time to share it. 
> 
> A massive shoutout and thank you to [rebelsfromstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelsfromstars/pseuds/rebelsfromstars), who beta-ed this fic. It wouldn't be the same without you; thank you so much! :D <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Hera woke up one morning to the smell of pancakes and Kanan’s kiss on her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes to see him lying on his side next to her. He must have gotten up a while ago; he had changed out of his pajamas.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning, love,” she replied. She closed her eyes for a short second and listened to the quiet morning of the room. “Did you cook breakfast?”

“Pancakes and meiloorun. Jacen’s already up and eating.” Hera gave a quiet chuckle. Their four-year-old had inherited her sleep schedule of getting up as early as possible. She opened her eyes again and looked at the time on the chrono. She had slept in later than usual, but it was still pretty early.

Hera rolled over onto her back and pulled Kanan closer so she could kiss him. They laid there in silence for a moment, until Kanan cleared his throat and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Hera?”

“Yes, love?”

“I think you need to take a pregnancy test.” 

Hera raised a brow. Looking away, she silently did the math in her head. It hadn’t been that long since they had last tried. 

“It’s too early. I was planning on taking one in a couple days.” But there was a look on Kanan’s face, one that Hera knew well after all the years they had been together. It was a hopeful look. 

_He might sense something in the Force. ___

She sat up and took his hand. “Do you feel anything? Is something different?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. This morning I woke up, and… something’s different. I just think you might need to take a test.” Kanan met her eyes again.

Hera leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek, throwing back the covers. “I’ll take one. I’ll be right back.”

She took the test quickly and got dressed, and she couldn’t help but catch a glance at herself in the mirror. What would it say?

There was just something that got in her gut every time she had taken a pregnancy test over the past months. Of course she wanted it to say yes, but that didn’t mean she didn’t worry. 

They both had agreed that they were going to give it a shot, and just see if they could have another baby. And she knew that she’d be happy if the test was positive. They would both be over the moon.

But the New Republic was so young, and there were still plenty of Imperial sympathizers all over the galaxy, who hadn’t minded the Empire’s rule, and preferred it. Twi’leks and humans were compatible, but even if they did conceive a child, something could go seriously wrong. 

* * *

They hadn’t really had any serious conversations about having another baby after Jacen was born. They had discussed it casually, of course, but they both agreed anyway that no matter what they wanted to do at the end of the day, they wouldn’t have any more children until the war was done. And at the time, the war didn’t seem like it was going to end any time soon. 

Kanan, Hera, and Jacen had settled down on Lothal after the battle of Endor. Hera had become a general of the New Republic, and while she was busy working on the planetary defenses for all of the newly freed planets in the Outer Rim, they enrolled Jacen in school on Lothal. He loved getting to learn new things and being able to play with kids his own age, and Kanan and Hera were glad that he was doing so well. 

After a couple months of routine, the whole family had gotten used to this way of living. One evening, Kanan and Hera were sitting on the couch when Kanan brought the topic up again.

“Would you ever want to have another baby?”

Any sense of tiredness went away. Hera hesitated for a second, but before she could get any words out of her mouth, Kanan spoke again. “Should I have asked at a different time?”

“No,” she replied. “We need to have that conversation eventually.” She was quiet for a moment.

“I haven’t thought about it that much to be honest.” Hera reached a hand towards his head, so she could run her fingers through the ends of his hair.

Hera tried to remember the last time they had a conversation like this. Her mind drifted to nearly five years ago, when the crew had rescued Hera from the hands of Pryce and Thrawn, and Kanan had told her she was pregnant, and they had to discuss what they were going to. They must have talked about it for hours but Hera had forgotten the nitty-gritty of that whole conversation. But she had remembered what her heart had wanted, even when her brain had told her what she should have done. 

They had chosen to not terminate the pregnancy, and they were both beyond grateful for Jacen, but the fact that he was born during the battle over Yavin only helped them both to easily agree that they would have no more children until after the war was over.

“I’m not against it. I’m definitely not. I just wonder…” Hera ran her hand through his hair again and he relaxed under her touch. “We beat the odds with Jacen. And I’m grateful we did, truly, but I don’t know if we would ever conceive a baby again. The odds are just so stacked against it.”

Kanan nodded solemnly as they sat there in silence.

“What do you want?” Hera asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew his answer. The corners of Kanan’s mouth turned up in a half-smile.

“In all honesty, I wouldn’t mind… I’d like to, actually. I’d like to have another baby. And I’ve thought about it for a while, and I know what I want to do. I just wanted to ask you. We haven’t had that conversation in a while. I … wanted to ask again.”

Hera thought for a second as she moved her head to rest on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, and rested his head on hers, and they enjoyed the silence and each other’s company. 

* * *

She could picture another baby. If she thought about it hard enough, she certainly could. Another little boy or little girl in their family.

But there was fear in her heart too. She had one child during a war, even when she had very early on in her life promised herself that she would never have a child during the fight. 

The Emperor had been killed, but that couldn’t stop someone from assuming control of the Empire and trying to fix the shambles that remained. But she read the reports every day, and flew out to plenty of different planets to see how their progress was. Improvement was happening every day. 

And Hera couldn’t help but think back to what Kanan had said to her all those years ago on Lothal. _How do you want to live your life? ___

She was wary, but she couldn’t deny the change she saw in the world around her. And if this galaxy was heading towards being completely free, then she was going to live her life the way she wanted.

They made an agreement that they were going to try, and if it didn’t happen, then it just didn’t, and it was fine. 

It had been a few months of trying and negative pregnancy tests when Hera started to really think that it was just a pipe dream.

* * *

Hera brought the test back and set it on their dresser. “We still have to wait a minute. I haven’t looked at it yet.”

She sat down next to him on the bed and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

“Do you think it’s happened already?”

Kanan was silent for a second, obviously thinking. “I guess we are going to find out.” 

_Don’t get your hopes up, Hera. ___

They stood up together and Hera walked over to the dresser. She took a breath, trying to calm the heart pounding in her chest. Her hands felt clammy and her head felt light. Kanan took her hand gently, and smiled at her. She smiled back, even if it was just to reassure herself. 

She picked up the pregnancy test, which had been sitting there ominously, a quiet weight that sat in the room. She held it for a second in her hands, wanting to put it back down again, but she forced herself to flip it over hesitantly. It took her a moment to process what lay before her eyes.

Two lines.

Hera felt herself sway a little bit. She gripped his hand tighter. “Kanan…”

“What does it say?”

“Love, it’s positive.”

“Are you kidding?”

She shook her head as she gave a happy sob and threw her arms around him. He held her close as they stood there together, his feet rocking them back and forth. 

Hera let go for a second and reached up to her face to find herself crying.

“So it did happen again, huh?” Kanan said, a grin full of joy, and she couldn’t help but to lean up and kiss him.

And Hera couldn’t help but feel happy and nervous and thrilled all at once. But they were together, and they were going to handle everything that way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and that this wasn't out of character. There will be a couple more chapters after this, hopefully coming out in the next couple of weeks.
> 
> As always, if there are any typos or errors, feel free to let me know! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy early Valentine's Day! Here's Chapter 2!
> 
> A huge thank you to [rebelsfromstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelsfromstars/pseuds/rebelsfromstars) for beta-ing! It wouldn't be the same without you! Thank you so much!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Hera got a blood test done the next morning, so they could know if the at-home pregnancy test was a fluke. The blood test had come back positive as well, and that evening all they could do was smile and hold each other close. 

It was their secret for now, at least until the first couple of months passed, and the chances of losing the pregnancy went down. But Kanan wondered how long they could keep it a secret. The little light in Hera’s womb seemed obvious to him now that he knew she was indeed pregnant. If he could sense it, how long would it take before Ezra noticed it too? Or Jacen?

Ezra hadn’t mentioned anything to Kanan when they meditated or trained or sparred, leaving Kanan to believe that he didn’t know, or was just refusing to say anything.

Jacen didn’t notice anything until Hera’s morning sickness kicked in, and Kanan had to think of a quick explanation: stomach bug. Unfortunately Jacen only seemed more upset after that, because getting sick was the worst thing that could ever happen to a four year old. Having to sleep and rest was the worst fate in the world.

Kanan explained the whole situation to her that night. 

Hera chuckled quietly. “I guess it will do for now. I forgot how bad morning sickness is.” She gently laid her head on the couch. 

And then, after a second, she spoke in a quiet voice, “So, how are we going to tell him?”

“I don’t know.” Kanan gave a sigh, and pulled her hand gently into his.

“I mean… my parents…” Hera was silent for another moment. “My mother told me when she was expecting. I was young, but I was older then Jacen.”

“What’d she say?”

“It was to the point. But she was kind and understanding about it. She let me ask questions, and she made sure I knew that she and my father would always love me and my brother or sister equally.”

Hera gave a sigh and Kanan could easily imagine her dropping her head down and pinching her nose between her thumb and forefinger. 

“I really wish she was still alive.”

Kanan placed an arm around her, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to her temple. 

“She just… she would have loved them, Kanan. I know she would have. And there’s so much I wish I could ask her.” 

Kanan wrapped his arms around her, rubbing a hand on her back in comforting circles, and they didn’t speak much for the rest of the night. 

* * *

The first ultrasound appointment went well. The medic told them that the pregnancy was progressing as it should. The baby was just a tiny little thing on the picture, but it was growing, and there were no visible issues that could be seen. 

Most women didn’t go on maternity leave as early as she did, and even then, it wasn’t a complete maternity leave; she was still doing work for the Rebellion. But she didn’t know any other pregnant generals, and there wasn’t much fighting or flying she could do until the baby was born and she had recovered.

She was put on working on strengthening planetary defenses until further notice. It did give her more time at home on Lothal, where she could get ready for their new addition to the family, and get Jacen adjusted to having a new sibling.

* * *

After a couple weeks, they had been informed by the medcenter that the chances of losing the baby had gone down as Hera moved into the second part of her pregnancy. The medcenter was still unclear how long the pregnancy would be, and wouldn’t know completely until the baby had grown a bit more.

But even then, by that time, Hera’s baby bump was small but somewhat visible, and she found herself standing in front of the mirror to stare at it constantly. She wasn’t sure why, she had had a baby bump before, but it was still that strange realization that there was a tiny thing growing in there, their child. 

But with her every-growing baby bump, she knew it was about time she pulled out the clothes that she had saved from when she was pregnant with Jacen. They were all standard, loose-fitting clothes, in basic colors. Pants, shirts, and even a couple of dresses that she had bought on a whim, simply because they were more comfortable to wear at home. 

So she put them in her dresser, ready to be used when she needed them. 

She spoke with Kanan that evening as they were washing dishes.

“I think we need to tell Jacen within the next week… this baby bump is going to be pretty hard to hide within a month.”

Kanan dried his hands on a dish towel, and reached down to press a warm, comforting hand on her belly. “Might be a little hard to hide.”

She leaned up to kiss him. “What if we told him tomorrow? He doesn’t have school. We could go and have a picnic.”

“Sounds like fun.” He drew her into his arms, pressing her and the baby bump up against him. He kissed the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around him.

“It’ll be fine, Hera.”

“I know. I just… wonder how Jacen will react.”

“I think he’ll be fine with it.”

Hera nodded, but there was a strange fear in the back of her mind. Was this an irrational fear parents faced?

Because she hoped desperately that Jacen would know that they would always love both of them equally. 

Hera woke Jacen up the next morning, telling him that they were going to go on a picnic. He was, of course, absolutely thrilled and impatient all morning, until Hera and Kanan finally packed the picnic basket and they set out.

Jacen held Kanan’s hand as they walked to their favorite picnic spot, and once they had sat down and had their food set out, they started to eat. 

Their son was happy to be outside, finding joy in the warm sun on his back and the light breeze in the air. Hera’s heart was pounding in her chest.

After they had sat quietly for a few minutes, Hera took a deep breath and forced herself to speak. 

“Jacen,” she began. 

“Yes, Mommy?”

“How would you like to be a big brother?”

Jacen pursed his lips and looked at her. “A big brother?” He thought for another minute. “Oh, like Maia has a big sister?” Maia was Jacen’s best friend at school. They had met at recess during their first week there and had instantly become best friends. 

Hera nodded and gave a glance towards Kanan, who was smiling. “Just like that. We’re having a baby.”

Jacen eyes grew wide. “Where is the baby?” 

Hera placed a hand on her lower belly, feeling the swell there. “Right here.”

His mouth dropped. “It’s in your tummy?” He reached out a hand hesitantly and pressed a hand to Hera’s belly. She sat up straighter so that the baby bump could be seen underneath her shirt better.

“Whoa.”

“I know, isn’t it crazy?” Hera gave him a smile. “My tummy will get bigger as the baby grows.”

“But when will I get to see the baby?”

“It will be a little while. Once the baby is done growing.”

“How long will that be?”

“A couple months.”

“But that’s forever, Mommy!”

Hera couldn’t help but laugh. “It won’t be as long as you think it will be. I promise.”

“Promise, promise?”

“Promise, promise. And then you’ll have a little brother or sister to play with, Jacen.”

His eyes lit up. “I can play with them?”

“When they get a little older you will be able to play with them. And you’ll be there to teach them and guide them. Does that sound like fun?”

“Yeah.” Jacen turned to Kanan and ran towards him, plopping down on his lap. He looked up and grinned at him. “Daddy, there’s going to be a baby.”

Kanan grinned back. “I know. It’s crazy, huh?”

* * *

Telling the crew was a different story. Ezra was constantly traveling all over the planet, and Sabine and Zeb were off on Krownest and Lira San at the moment. But Hera and Kanan suggested that they all come to visit, and stay for a week. 

They all came over for dinner and Hera’s heart couldn’t help but soar when they were all together. Ezra was with Kanan in the kitchen, and Zeb was playing with Jacen (Kallus couldn’t make it, but said he would be there the next time), and Sabine was eager to see Hera again.

“Tell me how being a general for the New Republic is.”

Hera sighed. “Things are coming along. There will always be Imperial sympathizers over the galaxy. I’ve been working on planetary defenses in the Outer Rim for the past couple of weeks.”

Sabine raised a brow. “Oh. You never mentioned that before.”

She had forgotten about that. She had only been put on planetary defenses when she had went on a makeshift maternity leave. 

“We’ve been told that the planetary defenses are a first priority at the moment.” It wasn’t a total lie, and she was still working on the plan to tackle the slave trade, but she couldn’t exactly be on the front lines when she was pregnant.

Sabine nodded, but before she could say anything, they all went to the dinner table.

It did feel like the old days again, with everyone laughing and talking together. Even Chopper seemed more agreeable than usual.

And after a few minutes, Ezra looked around expectantly. “What news does everyone have?”

The look on Kanan’s face was beyond suspicious, and the table was silent for a moment.

Hera took a breath and glanced over at Jacen. “You want to tell them, little love?”

Jacen gave them all a grin. “Mama’s having a baby.”

More than a few pieces of silverware were dropped, Sabine ran over to give them all a hug, and a thousand questions were asked. But they all couldn’t have been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> As always, if there are any errors or typos, feel free to tell me in the comments below. <3
> 
> Thank you again!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how late this chapter is. I wanted to post it last month, but unfortunately life hit me while I was down, and I had a lot on my plate that I had to tackle. I've had much more motivation to write lately, and the next chapter of New Addition is complete, and multiple scenes from the last two chapters are complete as well; I'm hoping this story will be finished soon.
> 
> A huge thank you to [rebelsfromstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelsfromstars/pseuds/rebelsfromstars) for beta-ing. You are the best, and a wonderful beta! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy Chapter 3, and Happy April Fools Day! (No tricks in this, I promise ;D )

“I knew it.”

Sabine plopped down next to Hera on the couch. She set her cup of caf on the table next to her.

“How did you know?”

“That shirt. You wore it all the time when you were pregnant with Jacen.”

Hera looked down to see the shirt she was wearing. It wasn’t meant for pregnancy, per say, but it was very loose, and Hera had worn it a lot during her last pregnancy, before it wouldn’t fit anymore.

“And then when you mentioned you were working on planetary defenses… instead of what you were doing before….”

Hera shook her head. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

Sabine laughed. “It’s the details.” She watched Hera for a moment, obviously wanting to ask something. “I am assuming this means that I can paint the nursery?”

“If you want to, Sabine.” Though that did remind Hera that they hadn’t started the nursery yet. They definitely needed to start soon.

“Why wouldn’t I? They’re family.” After a moment, she continued. “Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”

Hera shook her head. “No. Not yet… But I think we’re going to wait. Keeps thing interesting.”

Sabine sat back on the couch. “I don’t know how you have the patience to wait. If I were you, I’d want to find out right away.” She flopped her head over. Her eyes met Hera’s, and she smiled, throwing her arms around her in a tight embrace.

“Congratulations, Hera.”

Hera wrapped her arms around her and returned the hug. “Thank you, Sabine.”

* * *

“So then… Spectre Eight?”

Kanan heard Ezra walking up behind him, joining him at the kitchen counter. It was early in the morning; no one else in the house had gotten up yet.

“Spectre Eight,” Kanan confirmed, and he couldn’t help but smile. He opened the cabinet above them and pulled out another mug. “Do you want caf?”

“Sure.” The room was quiet for a couple minutes as Ezra worked the caf machine, pouring his cup and adding what he wanted to it. Eventually, Kanan spoke. 

“I’ve wanted to ask… Did you know?”

“About the baby?” Ezra took a sip of his caf, pondering the question for a moment. “I suspected something. It was like I woke up one morning… and something was different. I wanted to ask for a while, but I chose to forget about it. You and Hera would tell us when the time was right.”

Kanan listened to the gentle stir of the house, the occupants beginning to rise with the sun.

“Do you think the baby will be Force sensitive?”

Kanan felt the galaxy stop for him, just for a moment.

Hera had brought it up, last week actually, asking him if he could tell if the baby was Force-sensitive or not at this point.

It was tricky for him to determine now, when the baby was still so small. He had meditated on it. The baby’s tiny little signature in the Force reminded him of Jacen’s. Both were vastly unique, like all beings in the galaxy, but a small part of them were like him and Hera.

But that connection he had with both of his children through the Force, he couldn’t determine if it was due to both being Force-sensitive, or him being their father.

“I don’t know,” Kanan replied. Ezra nodded, and they made a silent decision to not talk about it, at least for a little while.

He had told Hera those same words when she had asked him, and she had turned back to the stack of Jacen’s old baby clothes they had pulled out of storage. They had been folding and sorting them. It was clear that she was anxious.

“We’d sure have a lot on our hands with two Force-sensitive children,” Hera had joked.

Kanan grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “We certainly would.” He had leaned forward to kiss her, perhaps to comfort her, or rather himself, and she had happily returned it.

* * *

It had gotten to the point where Hera’s back and feet hurt on a daily basis. Occasionally, if she felt sluggish, she retreated to her and Kanan’s room, where she would try and rest for a little bit, usually working on something for the New Republic. Sometimes she was alone, or Kanan sat with her, or Jacen came to cuddle or play quietly.

It was Jacen who found her that day.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, Jacen?”

He looked up at her and gave her a grin. “Can I sit here with you?"

“Of course.”

Jacen climbed up onto the bed and plopped down next to Hera. He curled up right by her side, and Hera leaned down and kissed the top of his head. They were quiet for a moment, and Hera turned off the news on the HoloNet.

“So I’m going to be a big brother, Mommy?”

Hera nodded and looked down at him. “You’ll be a big brother.”

Jacen gave a big sigh and sat up, which set a pang of worry through Hera’s heart.

“What’s up, buddy?”

He looked at her, a pout on his face. “It’s taking forever for the baby to grow.”

She couldn’t help but smile at that. “It’s only been two weeks,” Hera informed him. “You have to be patient, little love.”

He gave another huff and laid back down, rolling over onto his side. Comforting silence filled the room, and Hera gently laid one hand on her baby bump, and one on top of Jacen’s head. She ran her fingers through his hair.

“Jacen,” Hera began, “do you know how much I love you?”

He opened his eyes to look at her, a curious look on his face. “Lots, Mama. You always tell me that.”

“I know. I just wanted to tell you again.” And she would happily tell him again and again. 

Jacen sat up again. “I was a baby before, right?” He looked at her.

Hera nodded. “You were.”

“Did I grow in your tummy?”

“You did.” 

When Jacen had first kicked her, she had been doing simple repairs on the Ghost, enjoying the quiet bustle of the hangar and the routine of fixing her ship. She hadn't been expecting a strange sensation in her belly and the tiny kicks that had followed. She had been completely startled, dropping the tool she had been working with. It made a loud sound when it hit the ground.

A few of the pilots nearby had turned their heads, noticing the sound, but she had smiled weakly and picked up her tool, trying to get back to work.

“I think I have some pictures of you as a baby,” Hera replied.

His eyes lit up. He sat up straighter, and moved closer to his mother on the bed. “Can I see them?”

In truth, Hera hadn’t looked at them in a while. Before Jacen had been born, she never imagined herself taking many pictures. But Sabine liked to take plenty whenever she was around, and Hera couldn’t help but worry that she’d forget her baby being that tiny, and the photos quickly added up.

Hera looked around and noted the bottom cabinet drawer. She made to stand up but Jacen yelled, “I’ll get it!”

He jumped off the bed.

“It’s in the cabinet,” she told him.

He opened the door, surveyed the cabinet’s contents, grabbed the datapad, and, without shutting the door, climbed up on the bed with Hera’s help.

“Show me!”

Hera found where she had the pictures stored on her datapad as Jacen sat next to her with his legs crossed.

The first one was when Jacen was a newborn. His face was scrunched up often as a newborn, like he was always close to a full out wail. Hera didn’t remember taking this one; it must have been one of Sabine’s photos.

“Is that me, Mommy?”

“That’s you.”

Jacen’s head flopped to the side. “But I’m so tiny there.”

“You grew.” He had grown like a weed, in fact. Faster than Hera was prepared for. “Like this baby will grow.” She placed a hand on the swell of her belly.

Jacen didn’t reply, just reached a hand for the datapad. “Are there more?” He swiped through the photos, looking at everything.

“You can see your hair better in this one,” Hera said, swiping to a particular photo. She couldn’t believe her shock when they had placed her newborn in her arms and she was greeted by the bright green baby hair on the top of his head. “We didn’t know it’d be that color.”

“Will the baby have hair like me?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> As always, if there are any typos or errors, feel free to let me know. <3
> 
> Next chapter is coming very soon! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the quickest I've ever posted a new chapter. I'm loving this feeling, but I'm afraid it may never happen again. 
> 
> Thank you so much, [rebelsfromstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelsfromstars/pseuds/rebelsfromstars) for beta-ing. Your insight and ideas are absolutely amazing and extremely helpful. Thank you! <3

Cham was thrilled when they told him about the baby, congratulating them and planning on flying out to visit them. 

It was only for a couple of days, but Hera was glad to spend some time with him, now that the war was ending and the galaxy was in better shape. No battle to worry about, or galactic superpower looming over their heads.

He flew in towards the end of the week, right before Jacen had a quick break from school, and their son was delighted to find his grandfather when he came home that afternoon. 

They all had dinner together, one that Kanan made, and Cham and Hera taught Kanan and Jacen how to play a game from Ryloth, one with lots of cards and dice, that was tricky to get the hang of, but easy once you understood it. However, by the time they had gotten the hang of it, Jacen was on the verge of falling asleep and he hadn’t even had a bath yet.

Kanan put Jacen to bed and Cham found Hera in the living room, and they were alone for the first time since he had come to visit.

Hera was the first to speak. “How are things on Ryloth?”

“Recovering. Slowly. I should like for you to visit after the baby comes. I’ve been working on repairing the house, as best as it can be fixed.”

Her father’s eyes looked wistful for a second. “I’m not sure it will be the same as it was before, but it can be a home for the Syndullas yet.” He stood up from the sofa and walked over to a table that was pushed up against the wall. He reached behind it and pulled out a small box.

“I found something in the rubbish. I cleaned it, and I figure you and the baby would get good use out of it.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Father.”

Cham shook his head. “It was yours, and it should remain yours. It has better use with you now. ”

He passed the box to Hera, and she sat it on her lap. She took a deep breath, opened the box, and instantly recognized what she saw. It was her old baby blanket. 

Her eyes slowly filled with tears. She hadn’t seen it in years; Force knew how many. Old memories entered her mind, of curling up with the blanket on cold nights, and accidentally leaving it behind when they fled their home during the Clone Wars.

She traced the yellow flowers with her pointer finger, thinking of her mother stitching a blanket for another baby, her brother. The flowers were blue on his. When she was little, she was fascinated by her mother’s quick and nimble fingers, pushing the needle in and out through the fabric, embroidering tiny petals and leaves and other symbols on the blanket. Symbols of protection and good wishes.

And then, Hera remembered a teenage girl, considering packing her baby blanket in her bag, something from her mother that was made with nothing but love, but choosing to leave it behind before she left her home planet. 

_Why did she ever choose to leave it? ___

“I remember when your mother made that for you.” Cham had a solemn smile on his face. One that spoke of heartbreak but happy memories. “I hope you get good use out of it.”

“I will.” She took a glance down at her belly. “ _We _will. Thank you, Father.”__

* * *

Hera was at the market when she felt the baby kicking for the first time. She was alone; she normally brought Jacen with her, but he was at Maia’s house for a playdate.

She was holding out the credits for a couple of meilooruns when she felt that familiar feeling, one she hadn’t felt in years, low in her belly.

Hera paused for a second, her free hand drifting to feel the place.

“Is everything alright, ma’am?” the vendor asked.

Hera nodded. “Yes… everything’s fine. Thank you.” Hera smiled and passed over the credits, taking the bag of meiloorun. She thanked them and headed home, leaving the groceries on the counter of the kitchen.

She walked to the living room, her head feeling a little light, and quickly sat down on the couch. The baby gave another tiny kick, and her hand immediately went to the spot. 

After a few minutes, Kanan called. “Hera? Are you home?”

“I’m here,” she replied.

He found her quick enough, sitting next to her. She took his hand without word and put it on her belly. The baby kicked again, a little harder this time.

Hera watched his eyes widen. “That’s the baby?” he asked quietly.

“That’s the baby,” she confirmed.

They sat in silence for a few moments, a grin growing on Kanan’s face. Hera loved to see him so happy, and she was delighted to feel the baby kick, but it had been a while since she had felt this worried.

“Hera?”

She looked up to meet his gaze.

“Hera, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ve known you for quite a long time. You can’t hide when something’s bothering you.” He put his hand on her shoulder. 

“What’s wrong?”

Hera sighed.

“Kanan, I’m just… so worried.”

“Why are you worried?” His tone was soft, and he moved closer to her on the couch. He was concerned, but he didn’t press. Eventually, she continued.

“We’re going to have two. I’m going to be a mother of two.”

Kanan opened his mouth as if to reply, but she continued before he said anything. “And I’m so happy to have this baby.” She took her hand in his, meaning it from the bottom of her heart.

“We were never certain we’d have another child, and I’m so excited to meet them. I just…” She braced herself, placing both hands beside her on the couch. “I just don’t know how to do it. I don’t know how I’m going to be a good mother to two and a general and everything else I’ve got to be.”

Hera placed her head in her hands, and Kanan placed his hand on her shoulder. The room was dead silent.

“We’ve had to take care of two kids before.”

“Teenagers, not a five year old and a baby.”

Kanan tilted his head to the side. “That’s true. But there are parents before us who’ve done it. We’ll survive. We’ll be just fine.”

“And I’m just worried about Jacen. We brought him into this galaxy during a war. And then the war is over and then we are having another baby. I just don’t want him to feel… I don’t know…”

Kanan considered this. “I’ve seen Jacen, and I can say that I’ve never seen a kid more excited to have another sibling… Things are changing, so we’ll have to adjust. We’ve had to do it before. So we’ll adjust now. We will.”

Hera nodded, and Kanan didn’t press any further. Some subjects were best left alone for a little while, and spoke about later, after they had mulled about it for a little bit. He kissed her temple and they went to pick Jacen up from Maia’s. They made dinner altogether, and ate while their son happily told them all about the games he and his friend had played. Jacen had a bath and went to bed after Hera read him a story, and she and Kanan retired to their room. They found some movie playing on the HoloNet, and tried watching it for a good hour.

“I’m listening but I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Kanan asked.

“I’ve been watching and I still don’t get it.” Hera flopped back on her pillow, placing her hands on her belly. The baby kicked again, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Kanan turned the HoloNet off and rolled over onto his side.

“Hera?”

“Love?”

“Do you remember when we first met?”

Hera smiled to herself. “Well, it was a long time ago. But I remember. How could I forget?”

“From the moment I met you, I’ve always thought one thing about you.”

She raised a brow. “What was that?”

“That you could do anything. And I still think you can.”

Hera looked down at him, her eyes welling up as she thought about those words and watched the light from the lamp trace the sharp features of his face. She leaned down to kiss him. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Hera.”

They laid there for a few more minutes, until they decided it was far too late. They went to bed, trying not to worry about anything for the rest of the night.

Hera’s mind was still racing though, jumping through a thousand thoughts, thinking about their conversation from earlier.

But she took a breath, and tried to clear her head.

_We’ll adjust, and we’ll raise this child to be a good person. It will be alright. ___

And with that, she drifted off into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left! (Well, one more chapter until the baby is here, but two more chapters left in the story. :D )
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this has taken absolutely forever. 
> 
> As always, thank you to [rebelsfromstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelsfromstars/pseuds/rebelsfromstars) for beta-ing. And thank you so much for your support over these past two months. You are the best! <3
> 
> Just a warning, there is one sentence that has a person in this fic's water breaking. There is also early labor. It's not descriptive at all, but I just wanted to put that warning out there, in case anyone doesn't want to read. (And that's all I can say without spoiling it, sorry guys!)

Towards the end of her pregnancy, after Jacen had gone to bed and all the work for the New Republic had been completed, Hera liked to sneak away to the nursery and sit in the rocking chair that stood patiently in the corner of the room. Kanan had surprised her with it when they were putting the nursery together. Hera always turned on the light in the corner of the room, and the twilight of outside mixed with the rosy glow from the lamp.

By that point, it was the beginning of what was spring on Lothal; some of the plants were beginning to bloom with new life and one could easily see it outside the window. Usually she was alone, but one evening Kanan silently joined her, Eeva at his heels. The lothcat went over to the rug by the crib, and laid down to sleep.

“So this is where you disappear to,” Kanan said. He sat right at Hera’s feet, resting his head on her lap as best as he could. The baby had calmed down (earlier they were kicking like mad), but they gave a few gentle jabs every once in a while. 

“Sometimes.” Hera ran her hand through his hair. She looked up at Sabine’s mural, a painting of the landscape of Lothal, where the tall mountains stretched towards the sky and the soft grasses cushioned their feet. There were a couple of lothwolves running in the background, and a family of lothcats resting on a rock. It felt peaceful. 

“Are you ready for the baby to be here?” he asked gently. He took her hand and his fingers slipped between hers.

“I think so,” Hera said. “As ready as anyone can be to have a new baby.” She leaned back in the chair. “How about you?”

“I’m as ready as I can be too.”

Hera laughed to herself. “I’m ready to not be pregnant anymore. I want to drink caf, fly as much as I want…” she looked down at Kanan. “...and be able to get up out of a chair on my own.”

She smiled sheepishly and extended a hand for Kanan to take as she stood up. 

“Thank you, love.” She went to hug him and held him as close as she could with her massive baby bump. It always got harder as the weeks passed.

Kanan placed his hand under her chin, gently tilting her head up so he could kiss her deeply. She leaned in. 

“I love you so much,” Hera whispered.

“I love you too.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “And I’m absolutely exhausted. Do you want to go to bed?”

Hera nodded, and together they went to their room. She fell asleep in Kanan’s arms, her back pressed against his chest, lulled by his sleepy breaths.

* * *

Kanan wished that naming children could be easy. Because it was really too hard. And they had to pick out two. 

In the end, they picked two from Ryloth.

Bril for a boy. Sienn for a girl. 

Hera picked out the name Sienn. She had always liked the name, and had even thrown it out on the table for Jacen, before he was born and it turned out he was a boy.

Bril was Kanan’s idea; a name from a children’s book Cham had given Jacen for his fifth birthday, which had been a couple weeks before.

One evening, when it was just Hera and Jacen, they curled up on the couch to watch a children’s show on the HoloNet, and ate perhaps a little too much meiloorun than one should. 

“What do you think, Jacen? Do you like those names? Bril and Sienn?” He turned his head to his mother. She took his empty bowl and put it on the table next to her. She ran her fingers through his hair.

_Force, when has he gotten so big? _She thought to herself.__

Jacen nodded. “But when will the baby come?”

“We’re not sure yet, buddy. Probably another month. But soon.”

Jacen frowned. “I’ve been waiting for forever.”

“Forever, huh?” Hera couldn’t help but smile at that. “You’ve only mentioned it a couple times, little love.”

He only huffed again, and Hera left it at that. Her son laid down on the couch next to her, his head right next to her belly.

The baby gave a huge kick again, knocking the air out of Hera’s lungs. She placed a hand on her baby bump as their child gave a couple of quick movements.

Kanan was out of town for the evening with Ezra - “Jedi business,” as they liked to call it - and even after she tucked Jacen in, took a shower, and climbed into her own bed, her son found her and crawled in next to her, wanting to sleep there.

He didn’t do that much anymore. He had grown partially out of it, and perhaps Hera should have encouraged him to sleep in his own bed more when he was a toddler, but she couldn’t bring herself to most of the time. He would always be her baby, this tangible part of her heart out in the world.

Time was too precious. So she tried not to waste it.

* * *

Sleeping in late pregnancy had always been elusive for Hera. She never got enough sleep when she wasn’t pregnant, so adding in a giant baby constantly kicking her didn’t help. And the fact that she wasn’t going to get any solid sleep for months after the baby was born only made her more frustrated that she couldn’t get a full night’s sleep.

It was late spring on Lothal, and based on how the baby was developing, the medics said that they would likely be born in a couple of weeks. But it was never certain with hybrid children, and the baby could easily come earlier or later.

Hera woke up one day feeling different. 

She tried to not think anything of it, choosing to settle into her usual morning routine. She took a shower and drank a mug of tea. She reviewed New Republic reports and did her work for the morning, and told Kanan and Jacen “good morning” with a kiss on both of their cheeks.

“Are you alright?” Kanan whispered to her as Jacen put all of things into his schoolbag.

“Of course,” Hera said.

Kanan raised a brow, but didn’t say anything. 

“I’m alright, Kanan. The reports were just stressful today.” And he still didn’t look convinced, but left it at that. 

Jacen picked up his schoolbag and Kanan took his hand. “Do you need anything from the market, Hera?”

“Not today. Thank you, love.” She gave Jacen a hug. “Have a great day at school, buddy.”

“I will, Mama.” He gave her a big grin and they were off. 

She waited until they left to close the door and take a big sigh. Eeva was nudging her head against Hera’s legs, meowing. 

“I know, kitten.”

Hera thought for a second. There were reports to do, and a big pile of laundry to fold, but she just felt exhausted.

She decided to go back to bed, even though it was still early in the morning. And any other time she would have kept plowing forward, because work needed to be done, but she was far too heavily pregnant to do that at this point. Her back hurt and her feet hurt and her bed just seemed way too enticing.

She fell asleep almost immediately, and when she woke up, she heard Kanan downstairs, doing something in the kitchen. Hera groaned and sat up. Eeva jumped up from where she was also napping, and went to her. 

“I’m okay.” She scratched the cat behind the ears and stood up to walk to the fresher, intending to splash some water on her face to wake her up.

And that’s when the cramping started.

Hera froze, then fumbled to shut the water off.

_Was that a contraction? ___

____

____

She really didn’t know- Hera didn’t recognize the early contractions the first time. She was too busy during the Battle of Scariff to realize that the adrenaline had kickstarted her labor. 

Hera quietly walked down the stairs to find Kanan. He turned towards her. 

“Kanan?”

“Yes?”

“I- think I just felt a contraction.”

He was immediately at her side.

“Are you sure?”

“I haven’t eaten anything. It could just be a phantom contraction.” She placed her hand on his arm. “It’s alright. I’ll got eat something and see.”

Hera went to the kitchen and Kanan immediately followed, very concerned.

There were some leftover waffles from the morning, and Hera grabbed a part of one. He sat down next to her, taking her free hand in his own.

There wasn’t anything for a while. Hera sat still, her eyes closed, trying to wait and see. 

And then the cramping came back. 

Hera squeezed Kanan’s hand a little bit. “Another one.”

“Did you feel any before you laid down to rest?” he asked quietly. “Or did you just feel different.”

“Different.”

Kanan nodded and stood up. “I guess we wait then.”

There wasn’t any reason to head straight to the medcenter, but Hera commed Sabine, who was currently on Lothal, bunking at Ezra’s tower while he was away. She said she’d be there immediately.

Within a half-hour, Sabine was there, obviously ready to take anyone to the medcenter. 

“It’s alright,” Hera said, before Sabine could say anything, “we don’t have to go just yet. My contractions aren’t close enough at the moment.”

So they worked on chores. Kanan finished the dishes in the sink, and Hera finished packing her bag. Sabine helped sort some clothes. One might have thought that nothing was wrong, and Hera could have partially tricked herself into thinking that, if it wasn’t for her contractions, slowly, slowly getting longer and closer together.

Hera had joined Kanan in the kitchen when she yet again felt something very strange.

And then her water broke. She moved to sit down and Kanan went to help her into a seat, his face paling. 

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” She looked up at him. “Now might be a good time to get to the medcenter.”

“Perhaps.”

It only took a little bit to get there - Sabine drove them on a landspeeder- and a shorter amount of time to get administered to a room. Kanan was with her every step of the way, and he didn’t leave her sight for a second.

It was a blur, and then they were there. 

There had been an influx of people a couple of minutes before, but the room was empty but for her and Kanan now, the quiet beeping of monitors what would have been silence otherwise. 

Hera bit down as she felt another contraction overtake her, and she gripped Kanan’s hand.

“Kriffing hell,” she muttered under her breath, feeling a sweat starting to break out on her forehead.

“Do you want anything?” Kanan asked quietly. 

Hera shook her head. “I’m good.” She leaned back again. “How many centimeters did they say I was dilated again?”

“Four, I think.” 

She suppressed a groan, holding onto Kanan’s hand a little tighter. 

_It'll be alright. You can do it, Hera. _She thought of Kanan and Jacen and her crew and her father. And this new baby she was about to meet. She loved them all so much. And she held onto that.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be a baby next chapter! I'm so excited for everyone to meet them. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The baby is here! :D
> 
> I'm so excited for the final chapter. Thank you for joining me on this ride; there is a lot more to come and I can't wait to share more. 
> 
> A huge thank you, of course, to [rebelsfromstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelsfromstars/pseuds/rebelsfromstars) for all of your work and encouragement for this fic. I'm forever grateful. :D <3
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! <3

The baby was born an hour before midnight, with sharp cries and limbs flailing around. There was finally release and Hera fell back onto her pillows, sweaty and fatigued, but still trying to see the baby from the medic’s arms. The medic beamed, looked up, and happily announced:

“It’s a girl!”

They immediately placed her on Hera’s chest, and she didn’t really know how to react. She placed a hand on the baby’s back and a hand on her head as their daughter cried angrily. 

Hera tried gently shushing her until she calmed. “Shhhhh, it’s alright, baby. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

_We have a daughter. We have a daughter _, ran through her head.__

____

She already loved her so much.

“She’s perfect,” Kanan said under his breath as the medics took her to cut her cord and clean her off, and Kanan leaned down to kiss Hera.

“You,” Kanan whispered, “are the most amazing person in the galaxy.” He kissed her again.

They stayed like that for a moment, with Kanan holding her hand and Hera closing her eyes to process everything that had happened until a medic called from over her shoulder, “She looks just like her mother.”

“It’s only fair,” Hera said with a laugh as a couple more tears of joy fell from her eyes. She turned her head towards Kanan and smiled. “Jacen looks like you, this baby looks like me.”

The baby gave another wail, and Kanan stood up, his hand still holding Hera’s. He reached over to where they had put Hera’s old baby blanket, and the medics helped him wrap their daughter in it. They placed her in his arms and Kanan beamed.

The baby whined, and Kanan gently shushed her, rocking her in his arms. She calmed. He smiled and looked at Hera, and then sat in the seat next to her. He leaned over so that Hera could wrap an arm around their daughter too. 

“Sienn, then,” Kanan said quietly.

Hera gave another smile and couldn’t stop the few extra tears that ran down her face. “Sienn,” she repeated. She paused to trace the side of Sienn’s cheek with her hand.

“We need a middle name for her, love.” She looked up. “What do you think?”

Kanan pondered for a moment. “Could we have her middle name be Depa? After my master?”

They sat in silence for a moment. 

“Sienn Depa Syndulla,” Hera said softly. “I like it.” She turned her head and kissed him.

They stayed like that for a moment, before Kanan broke the kiss and laughed. “I just can’t believe it. We have a daughter.”

Hera looked down at her again. “We have a daughter.” 

She was so tiny and precious;Hera’s heart just swelled holding her. The medic was right- she did look like Hera at first glance. Her skin was light green, but dotting her cheeks were-

“Freckles,” Hera whispered.

Kanan raised a brow. “Freckles?"

“She has green skin like me. But tan freckles all over her cheeks.” Hera felt another tear slip down her face. Genetics were beyond strange, and she had no clue how Sienn ended up with freckles.

“The medics said she looks just like you,” Kanan said.

Hera looked down at Sienn again, and leaned down to kiss their baby again. “I still think she looks a lot like you.”

She adjusted Sienn in her arms and the baby opened her eyes grumpily from the movement. Her eyes were light- a pretty blue-green. Not exactly like Hera’s or Kanan’s, but similar to both.

“She’s perfect,” Hera said.

They stayed like that for a long time, and eventually Kanan and the medics took the baby to do a couple more tests, which did make Hera anxious, but Sienn had apparently out-cried herself earlier, and if she was upset, she didn’t make any noises to suggest it. If Hera leaned forward and tilted her head, she could see the medics and what they were doing.

They were done after about a half hour, and Kanan received a comm from Sabine and stepped out of the room for a minute.

One of the medics placed Sienn skin to skin with Hera, and she curled up against Hera’s bare chest, asleep and happy.

And in that moment, Hera’s heart was full of nothing but love. She thought of the past several months. It seemed like ages before she would be able to hold the little baby that set off that desperately wanted positive on her pregnancy test.

“And now you’re here,” Hera whispered to her. She held her close, tracing her nose and cheeks and hands and pressing her lips to the top of her head, grateful for every moment.

* * *

It was still the middle of the night on Lothal; It was too early for Jacen and Sabine to come over to the medcenter, but Sabine had commed Kanan about an hour after the baby was born.

“Hey, how are things?”

“Baby is here,” Kanan replied, and he couldn’t help but grin.

Sabine shuffled, sitting down. “Really? They’re here?”

“They’re here,” Kanan confirmed. He couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. “The baby is perfectly healthy, and Hera is doing great.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Sabine was quiet for a moment. “Oh, I can’t wait to meet them. What’s their name?”

Kanan considered telling Sabine for a moment, but decided against it. “It’s a surprise.”

Sabine huffed. “You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”

“I will wait until you and Jacen come. I’ve known you for a while Sabine. If I tell you, you will tell Jacen, and we want it to be a surprise.”

Sabine sighed. “Alright then. Guess I will have to wait. I will bring Jacen when he wakes up.”

“How is he?”

“Getting him to bed was a challenge. He doesn’t sit still. He always has to be doing something.” She paused. “But he’s really excited to meet the baby. He will be a good brother.” She yawned. “I should probably get some sleep now. Tell everyone I said hello.”

“I will. We can’t wait to see you, Sabine.”

“I can’t wait either.”

Kanan turned off the com link, and went to sit with Hera and Sienn. 

* * *

Sabine commed again early the next morning, saying that she and Jacen were on their way.

After Sienn was nursed and had her diaper changed, Kanan and Hera put Sienn in a swaddle and laid her down in the bassinet by Hera’s bed. She didn’t have much interest in a pacifier, but slept, eyes closed, as they waited patiently.

Jacen finally came in, holding hands with Sabine, a big “New Big Brother!” sticker on his shirt. He was beaming, and Hera could tell he wanted to bounce with excitement.

He let go of Sabine’s hand and ran over to them, lifting his arms so Kanan could pick him up, which Kanan dutifully did.

“Hey there, buddy. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Daddy.” He wrapped his arms around his father’s neck as Kanan kissed him on the cheek. Kanan smiled and set him down on the edge of the bed. Jacen quickly turned around to face Hera.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Hello, baby.” Jacen immediately went to Hera’s arms, and she kissed him and ran her fingers through her hair. Their son let go, still smiling brightly.

“I heard someone is a big brother now,” she said.

Jacen nodded happily.

“So I’m assuming you want to meet your new baby sister?”

It was only then that he finally noticed the tall bassinet that stood a couple feet away, and the tiny bundle that was peacefully sleeping there.

His eyes lit up. “Is that the baby?”

“That’s the baby,” Kanan said, pulling the chair closer to the bed. His grin matched Jacen’s- they’d always had the same smile. “Do you want to meet her?”

Jacen nodded fervently. Kanan stood up and picked up the bundle, adjusting Sienn in his arms, carefully sitting back down. Jacen looked over at the baby. 

“Sienn?” he asked, turning to Hera. “You said Sienn if it was a girl, Mama.”

“Sienn Depa Syndulla,” Hera confirmed, wrapping an arm around him and kissing the top of his head.

Kanan motioned for Hera to take the baby, and Hera took Sienn into her arms.

Jacen didn’t say anything for a while. Hera gently took his hand in her own, and placed his finger in Sienn’s hand. Her little fingers gripped around his big finger tightly.

He smiled.

“Do you want to hold her, little love?” Hera asked. Jacen was quiet. She then added quietly, so to not draw attention to it, “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”

Jacen finally realized what Hera said and nodded again. “I want to hold her.”

“Can you hold out your arms?”

Jacen sat back on the pillow next to Hera and held out his arms, and Hera placed Sienn in his arms.

“You have to be very gentle. Can you do that?”

“I can do that,” Jacen said.

Sienn opened her eyes after being moved into her big brother’s arms, then closed them again. Jacen was quiet, just taking everything in.

“Does she have hair?”

“No hair,” Kanan replied. “She’ll have lekku, like Mommy.”

Jacen was quiet again, and stayed that way for a couple minutes. He held the baby gently, and looked her up and down, from her feet to the hat they had put on her head. Finally, he looked up and smiled. “I love her.”

Hera’s heart swelled and she welled up with tears again, after several times already that day. She ran her fingers through his hair, kissing his temple. “Really, buddy?”

He nodded.

Sienn scrunched up her face and began to cry, and Jacen’s happy face quickly turned to panic.

“It’s alright, buddy” Kanan said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Everything is just new to her. It is a lot to take in.” He gently took the baby and rocked her, and Jacen leaned back into Hera’s arms. Sienn calmed down, drifting back to sleep. 

“There we go.”

“May I hold her?” Sabine asked from where she stood.

Kanan shifted the baby into her arms, and Sabine grinned from ear to ear as she held Sienn.

“There you are.” She rocked her for a minute, and then looked up at Hera. “I knew it would be a girl, by the way.”

“Did you now?” Hera asked, raising a brow, but smiling all the same.

“I had a feeling.” Sabine looked down at the baby again. “You look just like your Mama, don’t you?”

“That’s what everyone says,” Hera said as Jacen placed his head on her shoulder. “I still think she looks like Kanan.”

Sabine considered. “Maybe a little,” she admitted after a moment. 

Jacen curled closer to Hera and she buried her nose in his hair.

“Little love?

He looked up at her.

“You know that Daddy and I will always love you and Sienn the same? And that we love you so much?”

He nodded and curled up closer to Hera. “I know.”

Their room stayed relatively quiet as they talked in low voices and Sabine and Jacen took turns holding the baby. After a little bit, Sienn started to cry again, needing a diaper change and nursing.

“Jacen, do you want to go on a walk with me?” Kanan asked.

Jacen nodded and smiled, happy to go and stretch his legs for a bit.

As Kanan took his hand, he turned around and quickly told Hera, “I’ll be back, Mommy.”

Hera chuckled and nodded, and they left, leaving Sabine and Hera alone together in the room.

Hera got Sienn to latch on - she was getting better at nursing each time - and watched quietly as she fed her. 

“Ezra and Zeb are going to be just as enamored. Warning you now.”

Hera laughed. “Oh, I know. 

She would forever be grateful that Sienn and Jacen were so loved. And she’d be forever grateful for her family. 

* * *

They were discharged from the hospital the next day. More medical tests had to be done on Sienn- at least more than usual, seeing as she was half-human and half-Twi’lek - but all of the results came out well. She was healthy and ready to go home. 

Sabine picked them up again while Ezra waited at home with Jacen. The ride home was pleasant, finally being outside the medcenter and having their baby here with them. 

Sienn was awake the whole time, looking out with her pretty blue eyes, taking in everything of this huge new world.

And it’s even bigger than that, baby, Hera thought. 

They arrived at their home in good enough time, and Hera took the baby while Kanan got the bag they had brought. Hera opened the door and picked up the handle of Sienn’s carrier, and took a deep breath before stepping over the threshold into the next chapter of all of their lives. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! There are dozens of more stories with Kanan, Hera, Jacen, Sienn, and the rest of the Ghost Crew and I can't wait to share them. <3
> 
> (On another note, I can't believe this fic is finally done! I started writing this draft in early January, but I've been toying with this particular story since September of 2018. Time flies. :D )
> 
> Thank you again!


End file.
